I Am... Becoming the Person My Vision Requires
Tell me your vision.
There is a desired destination that we are all pushing towards.
Some are already making inroads, while others are still conceptualizing the smaller details… however evolved the idea, there’s an imagined reality we are all pushing towards.
I like to do the hard things.
I have been asked, “Why not take an easier route?”
People do not understand that for some of us, we opt in to struggle by choice. When the vision carries intrinsic value, every step forward feels sacred.
We need to challenge the idea that the path of least resistance carries a universal appeal.
I am not simply building towards a vision; I am embracing the process of becoming in pursuit of it.
So much of my path has been shaped by the opinions that people shared on what they felt I could or could not do. Both had the same effect. Positive affirmation breathed fuel into my trajectory forward; I maintained the path I had already committed to take. Negative opinions had the same effect; I have never been deterred by dissent. I see criticism as a window into the consciousness of the person sharing it. I weigh the value of the feedback against the assumptions, beliefs, and desires of the person offering their perspective. Sometimes the value that I extract from the feedback provided is not necessarily the value-add that was intended.
I am who I am because of the challenges I’ve experienced and the choices I’ve made in navigating them.
Do yourself the favour of continuing the path towards accomplishing something that people think is beyond your reach.
This often means bridging the gap between the person you are now and the person you are quietly becoming to bring that dream to life.
Allowing others to limit your potential through the lens of their limited beliefs does not serve you.
Maintaining the course, pursuing what others consider to be beyond your reach and finding achievement gives everyone involved an opportunity to challenge their own ways of thinking.
Progress is personal.
The bigger the dreams, the more transformative the process.
People may not understand the struggle, the timelines, or the challenges. From the outside looking in, they may feel equipped to make a complete assessment of your progress, offering words of wisdom intended to catapult you toward success. Yet, they may not recognize that you are not only creating change but experiencing it with every step forward.
Building the life of your dreams involves grit. Continuing to build into a vision that has not fully materialized requires making room for your own personal growth and development.
You cannot be a conduit for change in the lives of others without allowing that change to influence your own life.
People may just see you struggle.
Don’t let the perceptions and judgments of others encroach on your process. Always remember that change is not just coming; it is happening with every step forward… it is doing its work even in the moments of stillness.
I was not given the luxury of a neat and tidy execution. I remember a particular week in Marseille. I was in a dubious hotel, working on a project that brought me to the South of France for the larger part of several months. This particular week, while the other consultants were unwinding in the evenings, I was participating in an online life workshop. With the guidance and support of this online community, I began building the foundation for the life I felt my education and experience had prepared me for. My definition of meaning and fulfillment were taking shape.
That was in the summer of 2019.
The vision had four core quadrants: family, career, social entrepreneurship, and social aspirations and contributions.
Seven years later, I am still steadily building towards that dream.
Its pursuit has cost me everything I knew, and it was worth every sacrifice.
Some people might understand the loss in material terms, but the disruption extends far beyond what is tangible. The four dimensions of my vision were deeply interconnected. Building the life I envisioned meant making adaptations, facing uncomfortable truths, finding ways to be resourceful, and persevering through hardships.
As my vision took shape, I could not have anticipated the disruption that its growth would create. Nothing would, or could, stay the same.
As my life’s mission began to take shape, so did my understanding of the people, places, and circumstances that formed the landscape of my reality.
You cannot un-know what you know.
As the vision began to manifest, I gained clarity on the parts of my life and identity that could no longer participate. There were aspects of my reality I needed to let go.
There are moments of momentum and there are moments of quiet consideration. I am not building something from which to receive accolades and recognition… I am creating a life.
It is taking the time it needs to take, while allowing me the space to become the woman who is building the strength to carry that reality forward.
You may see a project.
I see a life built slowly. There is so much intention and mindfulness in the construction. More than what meets the eye.
I am building a vision, and I am the journey that will bring this vision to life.
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